What’s the Difference Between Arthritis and Bursitis?
They both cause joint pain and swelling, but arthritis and bursitis aren’t the same. Find out the difference between these two issues to better understand which one is causing your joint pain.
Joint Pain? We Can Help
Bending, twisting, rotating. Your joints keep your body in motion. Unfortunately, the function of your joints also puts them at greater risk of injury and pain.
Joint pain is a common problem and may keep you from your active lifestyle, especially if it’s an ongoing problem. But not all joint pain develops from the same cause or improves with the same treatment.
At Orthopedic & Wellness, we specialize in all types of joint pain, including knee pain, shoulder pain, and back pain. Our experienced physicians — Dr. Ojedapo Ojeyemi and Dr. Matthew Roh — conduct comprehensive evaluations to find the cause of your pain and provide the most effective treatments.
Our goal is to heal what’s causing your pain, not simply mask it. If you have joint pain, we can help.
Joint basics
Your joints carry a heavy burden. They connect the entire skeleton and allow you to move your body in all sorts of ways. Joints form the connection between two or more bones and are:
Immovable
An immovable joint is a fixed joint or a joint that has no movement or mobility. The bones in your skull, for example, are immovable joints.
Slightly moveable
Slightly moveable joints have tight connections that limit movement or range of motion. For example, your sacroiliac joint that connects the pelvis to the sacrum and the vertebrae that make up your spine.
Freely moveable
Mobility is the purpose of your joints, and most of the joints in your body are freely moveable — like your shoulders, knees, and wrists — having the ability to move in a wide range of directions.
Causes of joint pain
The more movement and flexibility a joint has, the greater the risk of injury and pain. Injury, overuse, and disease are common causes of joint pain.
Sprains, strains, dislocations, and fractures may cause knee or shoulder pain. Rotator cuff tears and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are common joint-related injuries.
Overuse leads to inflammatory conditions like tendonitis (inflammation of the tendons) or bursitis (inflammation of the bursae sacs). Runner’s knee and trigger finger are types of tendonitis.
Of course, arthritis is one of the most common causes of joint pain, affecting nearly half of all adults in the United States. Arthritis causes pain, inflammation, and tenderness at the joint. It may develop from an underlying condition like rheumatoid arthritis or degeneration like osteoarthritis.
You may be at greater risk of developing arthritis and joint pain after a joint injury.
Because joint pain may develop from many causes, we conduct a comprehensive evaluation when you come in with concerns about joint health. Getting the right diagnosis helps us create a more effective plan for alleviating your pain.
Alleviating joint pain
We offer many treatment options for joint pain. The goal is to ease your discomfort, heal the root cause of your pain, and restore joint health, structure, and function.
Your pain management plan may include:
- Over-the-counter pain medication
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Activity modification
- Physical therapy
- Bracing or splinting
- Weight loss
- Joint injections
- Nerve blocks
For joint injuries and degenerative conditions, we offer PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections. PRP is a form of regenerative medicine that accelerates your body’s natural healing process.
For severe joint damage, we may recommend surgery. Dr. Ojeyemi is a highly skilled orthopedic surgeon who uses advanced surgical techniques to repair the damage and reduce the pain.
Don’t let your joint pain keep you from living a full life. Let us help. Call our office — we have three convenient locations: Frederick, Waldorf, and Germantown, Maryland — or use our online booking tool to schedule an appointment today.
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